In Primitive Living, Self-Sufficiency, and Survival Skills, author Thomas J. Elpel shows how to discover nature by using it with the same techniques employed by the first people to wander the earth. Illustrated with over 350 photographs, he thoroughly describes every aspect of how to:
The Table of Contents includes the following:
- Stay warm and comfortable even without a blanket
- Start a fire using friction
- Make bows and bone arrowheads
- Butcher a deer, tan the hide, and make soft buckskin clothing
- Identify edible plants of the Rocky Mountains
- Cook in the wild without a pan
- Make birch bark canisters, willow baskets, and primitive pottery
- Create and use simple stone knives
The Table of Contents includes the following:
- SUNRISE
- Earthskin
- The Pony Millsite
- Our Place in the World
- Participating in Nature
- The Cost of Gold
- Finding Home and Making a Stand
- MIND
- Nature as Wallpaper
- Discoidal Stone Knives
- Saving the World
- Adapting to Change
- Twined Baskets
- The Human Brain: Evolving Neural Networks
- Primitive Living as Metaphor
- Personas and Acting
- The Information Age
- Split Willow Figures
- Perceptions of Reality
- SHELTER
- Goals
- The Elements of Shelter: Shingling
- Efficiency
- The Elements of Shelter: Insulation
- Adapting Shelters to the Environment
- The Elements of Shelter: Fire
- Recouping Your Investment
- The Earth Lodge
- Impacts & Reclamation
- Choosing a Location
- FIRE
- Bowdrill Fire-Starting
- Bowdrill Techniques
- Starting Bowdrill Fires with Damp Materials
- Survival Bowdrills: Fire from Nothing
- Handdrill Fire-starting
- Handdrill Technique
- Other Friction Fire-Making Methods
- Flint & Steel Fire-Starting
- Principles of Fire-Starting
- Campfire Logistics and Safety
- Splitting Matches
- Energy Conservation
- WATER
- Birch Bark Canisters
- Giardia & Water Purification
- Water Conservation
- Crapping in the Woods
- Fishing by Hand
- Making Cordage from Natural Fibers
- Twisting Fibers into Cordage
- Primitive Fishing Tackle
- Skinny Dipping
- COOKING
- Tin Cans/Stainless Steel Cans
- Cooking without a Pan
- Coal-Burned Containers
- Making Hollow-Log Drums
- Cooking in a Gold Pan
- Stir-Fry without a Pan
- Ashcakes: Bread of the Modern Abo
- Bamboo Spoon/Fork & Chopsticks
- Stone Ovens & Steam Pits
- Complete Proteins
- Primitive Pottery: Harvesting Wild Clay
- Adding Temper
- Wedging the Clay
- Making Pinch Pots
- Making Coil Pots
- Drying Pottery
- Firing Time
- Cooking in Clay Pots
- Beliefs about Food
- Mice and the Hantavirus
- PLANTS
- Identification Strategies
- ommon and Latin names
- The Digging Stick
- Wild Food Economics
- Wild Gardening
- Natural Farming
- The Ethics of Killing
- Worthwhile Plant Food Resources
- Edible Lichens
- Syrup
- Starchy Roots
- Fruits
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Mushrooms
- ANIMALS
- Sneak Stalking & Trust Stalking
- Animals & Ecosystem Processes
- Desertification & Holistic Management
- The Quickie Bow
- Flintknapping Thoughts
- Bone Arrowheads
- Making Arrows
- All about Hide Glue
- Sinew Preparation
- Wildlife Laws
- Butchering a Road Kill Deer
- Gutting Deer
- Skinning Your Deer
- Butchering Basics
- Hunting Notes
- Deadfall Traps
- CLOTHING
- Braintan Overview
- Braintanned Buckskin
- Smoking the Hide
- Sewing Buckskin
- Shoes, Moccasins & Sandals
- Tire Sandals
- Wool & Blanket Ponchos
- Felting with Wool
- SUNSET
- Canvas Sack Backpack
- The Bedroll Pack
- Pack Frames
- Nicholson Mine
- Goals in Primitive Living
- The Equipment Chest
- AFTERWORD: THE ART OF NOTHING
- BIBIOGRAPHY
- INDEX
